Memory
by Potato Maiden
Summary: Song-fic to Memory by Andrew Llyod Webber. AU. Emeraude is in the hospital as memories flood back to her. RR


**Memory **

a/n: I've been listening to the CD I got for Christmas, it has Memory by Andrew Lloyd Webber on it, the whole CD is all Andrew Lloyd Webber, all instrumentals of the songs. Thought it would make a good song-fic and bada bing! Here we are.

**Disclaimer:** Memory is property of one of the world's best (In my opinion) musical playwrights, Andrew Lloyd Webber. Any of the Rayearth characters are property of the awesome manga artists, CLAMP.

**Memory**

The day had begun early, for this particular hospital patient anyway. She was woken up by her nurse because of the fact she needed her treatment before breakfast. The light was creeping in through the curtains as she got out of bed to open the curtains herself. True, she was lonely, her lover had died in an accident and her younger brother had married, true, he still visited his sister in the hospital, but it wasn't the same.

"Cephiro-san, maybe you should lay down, it's not wise for you to be up right now," a nurse said to her gently walking past the room. Cephiro Emeraude looked out the window wishfully at the flowers and the trees. She looked at a group of sunflowers, then to some roses that were withering.

_Daylight  
See the dew on the sunflower  
And a rose that is fading  
Roses whither away  
Like the sunflower  
I yearn to turn my face to the dawn  
I am waiting for the day..._

"Cephiro-san, you have some visitors," the nurse said. Emeraude turned around and looked to see her brother, sister-in-law and baby niece.

"How are you feeling 'nee-chan?" Ferio asked as Emeraude sat down in the hospital bed.

"I'm feeling better than before," she replied stifling a yawn. They talked for hours, not knowing the time of day. It was around 7:55 when a nurse came in a told Ferio and his family that visiting hours were almost over, considering the floor Emeraude was on, it would take about five minutes for them to get out of the hospital.

_Midnight  
Not a sound from the pavement  
Has the moon lost her memory?  
She is smiling alone  
In the lamplight  
The withered leaves collect at my feet  
And the wind begins to moan_

It was midnight when Emeraude woke up, it was for the bathroom, but once again, she stopped and looked out the window, this time to the sky. The sky was cloudy except for one part, the moon. A memory flooded back to her as if it were yesterday.

A younger Emeraude stood on the sidewalk of the park around eleven o'clock with her date. She could tell it was late by the lack of footsteps in the park. She looked up at the sky and saw the night was cloudy except for the moon shining between two large clouds.

"Look," she said pointing up at the moon, "it looks like the moon is smiling alone, like she's trying to remember something." As they walked through the park the lamplight shone dimly around the two as the fallen, writhed leaves crunched under their feet. The two stopped as a wind blew, blowing more leaves to their feet. As they reached the other side of the park, the wind began to blow a little harder and the gates creaked to where they moaned against the wind.

"It's cold tonight, maybe you should get home that way your brother doesn't worry about you." Zagato said pulling Emeraude closer. She nodded, knowing he was right. Silently, tears streamed down Emeraude's cheeks as she turned from the window of the hospital, it was another memory that gave her peace but some remorse in her thoughts.

Emeraude sat at the window after her bathroom break and stared out of it, memories coming back to her, from when her brother was born to when Zagato was killed. Between all of the memories, she smiled at something good that happened.

_Memory  
All alone in the moonlight  
I can smile at the old days  
I was beautiful then  
I remember the time I knew what happiness was  
Let the memory live again_

Her attitude changed when the nurse came by with breakfast and the treatment, though it was still dark. After the morning came by more quickly than usual, Emeraude gave a glance in the mirror and became a little shocked at what she saw. Her face looked much older than she was, considering she was only in her late twenties. Her golden hair was thinning from all of the medicine, not to mention she was obtaining wrinkles where her skin was defiantly baby smooth. It seemed to depress her for a short moment before she was sent back into memories of her younger days.

The streetlamps seemed dimmer that night, but it didn't pass through Emeraude's mind as she walked along the hospital garden. She was excited about the new baby that was coming, she would finally get to see her baby brother. She looked up at her father and smiled. He smiled back to the five year old gently, she could see it in his eyes that he was awaiting this baby as much as she was.

It wasn't strange, to see people walking around the garden this late at night, it didn't phase the staff, because a few of them went outside in the late night to smoke a cigarette or drink coffee to get away from the air of the hospital. The streetlamps to them were mere lights they could use to see the edge if they were on the higher floors, or to watch people walk around the garden if they could. For the patients, the streetlamps were used as a night light, as if it were there to protect them.

_Every streetlamp  
Seems to beat a fatalistic warning  
Someone mutters  
And the streetlamp gutters  
And soon it will be morning_

Morning came early for the two walking around that garden, and because of their walk, they were not only tired, but hungry. First however, Emeraude's father had to go see how his wife was doing, if the baby was born yet or anything that would help her get that stubborn boy out.

_Daylight  
I must wait for the sunrise  
I must think of a new life  
And I musn't give in  
When the dawn comes  
Tonight will be a memory too  
And a new day will begin_

Emeraude blinked as the first rays of dawn came into her room, she sighed and went back to her bed to rest a little, to stop staring out of the window long enough to see her doctor.

"Well, Cephiro-san, it turns out that you may be able to get out of here sooner than we thought," he began, "but there is one slight problem."

"What is that?"

"You will need to take your own breathing treatments, and I wouldn't advise you being near babies or anyone that is sick." Emeraude nodded at these words, eyes softened at the fact that seeing her niece would be a no. After the doctor had explained more about her leaving, Emeraude began dreaming of a new life, past the walls of the hospital. She would most likely have to live with Caldina and her brother, but that didn't bother her, Caldina and her brother were almost never sick, but when they were, it was usually a bad cold.

She was thrown out of her thoughts when she noticed it was around nine o'clock and the sun had set. Another memory snuck in on her, a sad one, but a memory nonetheless.

"Zagato, be careful driving home, the roads are really wet and the drivers are crazy," Emeraude said as Zagato dropped her off at her house.

"I will, you know that," he said to her after placing a kiss on her forehead. Emeraude nodded as she watched him drive away from the house and around the corner, however, the forces of destiny stop you wherever they want, and unfortunately, this was not the best of all destiny, must have been a bad day. All Emeraude heard was tires squealing and the sound of cars hitting each other. Neighbors came out from their houses to see what happened as Emeraude ran down the street to see if Zagato was anywhere near the accident. As she neared the scene she slowed down into a walk. The closer she got, the less she wanted to see, a sleek black car was pushed to the side by the police or firemen as the ambulance lifted a familiar figure from the car.

"Zagato!" She cried rushing up to the paramedics. A man turned to her and held her back from going atop of the unconscious body.

"Ma'am, do you know him?" he asked. Emeraude nodded frantically. The girdle was lifted into the ambulance before the man and Emeraude got in the back with Zagato.

When they arrived at the hospital, Zagato's condition didn't get better, he became less stable then. Emeraude could only watch as they pushed him into the OR.

It was hours later before the surgeon came out of the room.

"Excuse me, are you his wife?" he asked seeing Emeraude. She shook her head, being unable to speak. "I'm sorry, but," Emeraude shook her head again, not allowing him to finish.

Once again, tears began to stream down Emeraude's face as she shook out of her memory.

_Burnt out ends of smoky days  
The stale cold smell of morning  
The streetlamp dies, another night is over  
Another day is dawning_

"She went for a walk this morning, she didn't want to stay inside all morning, I thought it wouldn't be to bad if she saw some light, outside of the room." A nurse said to Ferio, who was standing with his daughter.

"Was that a good idea?" he asked adjusting the baby.

"It seemed like a good idea, she may still be out there."

"Its raining right now!"

"Oh my, that's not good."

"It's raining, I haven't been able to play in the rain since I've been here." Emeraude said to herself standing in a puddle. "The morning smells good, but it smells stale good..." she muttered.

_Touch me  
It's so easy to leave me  
All alone with the memory  
Of my days in the sun  
If you touch me  
You'll understand what happiness is_

"Emeraude-nee-chan, you should get inside, this weather isn't good for you," Ferio said to his sister.

"It's bad for Montreai too, Ferio." Emeraude said to her brother. Ferio nodded and led his sister inside.

"I've been reminiscing, Ferio. I remembered a lot of things I didn't want to. But, those made me feel good, remembering everything, the good and the bad. It made me happier than usual, I don't know why..." she said sitting on her bed in the damp hospital clothes.

_Look  
A new day has begun_

**---End **

a/n: Wow, I finished this while waiting for information on the Tornado Warning here in good ol' Arizona. No tornado, yet...The warning is over though. Oh, right, Review, constructive criticism is wanted, flames will be used to keep me warm.


End file.
